What if you didn’t have to spend a 12-hour international flight wedged into a middle seat the whole time? What if you could get in a workout instead? Always seeking opportunities to fulfill its mission and vision of transforming the way Silicon Valley travels, Mineta San Jose International Airport this week has welcomed an experiential prototype using groundbreaking modular cabins that could be inserted into airplanes to create experiences for passengers while in flight, including spas, cafes, and yes, gyms.
“As Silicon Valley’s airport, we’re looking for unique opportunities to showcase the region’s technology for our passengers,” said San Jose Interim Director of Aviation John Aitken. “So when we were approached about this exhibit we knew we wanted to make it happen in our concourse.
The concept is designed by Transpose, a project from Airbus’s Silicon Valley outpost known as A³ -- which is dedicated to identifying and nurturing disruptive technologies for the aviation industry.
With help from partners Reebok and Peloton, the Transpose prototype features a full-size demo cabin gym with stationary bikes, yoga mats and other workout equipment designed to showcase the limitless possibilities for a modular approach to airplane cabin design.
“The future of travel is allowing more personalization and flexibility for passenger and airlines,” said Jason Chua, project executive of Transpose. “Transpose is building that future today, using existing aircraft and carefully considering the new business models that modular cabins enable, and we’re excited to share our work with Silicon Valley travelers.”
Airport passengers are welcome to check out the Transpose project first hand in SJC’s Terminal B between gates 18 and 19. The exhibit is open through May 19. More information about the activation is available at flytranspose.com; pictures can be found here.
